BESS Development Engineer, Senior or Staff

Redwood Materials; Reno, San Francisco (NV, CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

Redwood Materials seeks a Senior or Staff BESS Development Engineer to join early in a new team focused on Battery Energy Storage System concepts and permitting paths. The role emphasizes turning ambiguous inputs into buildable scope, concept design, and interconnection planning, balancing speed with depth.

The candidate will coordinate across BD, engineering teams, and EPC stakeholders, working in a fast-paced environment to win and execute energy storage projects at scale.

Qualifications

• 5+ years (Senior), 8+ years (Staff) of experience in energy project development, design, and construction with BESS and utility scale solar experience preferred.
• Familiarity with grid-scale energy storage technologies and balance-of-plant equipment (e.g. inverters, transformers, switchgear, fire detection).
• Strong working knowledge of electrical system design, interconnection requirements, and utility-scale BESS project execution.
• Familiarity with BESS industry standards and codes (UL 9540/9540A/1973/1741, NFPA 855, IEEE, NEC (NFPA 70), IEC).
• PE License preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate technically across BD, BESS Product Team, internal EPC engineers, and internal EPC project controls.
• Own internal and external EPC engineering resourcing and schedule for assigned early-phase work.
• Work with Business Development (BD) team to serve as BD's technical engineering support, supplying scope boundaries, buildability constraints, the design/construction/install side of the cost estimate, schedule, and the technical exhibits attached to the contract.
• Work with BESS Product Team who owns system architecture, configuration, and product compliance documentation.
• Engage civil, structural, electrical, controls, and fire engineering disciplines to review studies, layouts, and Single Line Diagrams (SLDs) produced by Development Engineer.
• Includes setting the design basis, routing data-request items to the right discipline, prioritizing against the pursuit schedule and combining elements into concept package.
• Engage project controls team for cost estimation and schedules to support BD proposals and facilitate resource planning.
• Coordinate and document critical electrical and fire/life-safety requirements or assumptions with risks and project mitigations.
• Deliver feasibility studies that document if and how project site physically and electrically host the system.
• Confirm buildable area, interconnection viability, and a clear permitting path.
• Output is a go/no-go input plus constraints register.
• Deliver gap analysis using data/information request checklist as gap tool, assign an owner to every item, and track status.
• Surface scope-delineation ambiguities and long-lead items.
• Drive the data/information request checklist to closure, including site surveys, geotechnical report, product configuration and cutsheets, product compliance basis, utility interconnection inputs, and AHJ and regulatory requirements.
• Document scope delineation across internal and external responsible parties.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Prioritization

Education

BS in Engineering (Civil or Electrical)

Tools

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

Civil 3D

Revit

Job description

BESS Development Engineer, Senior or Staff

About Redwood Materials

Redwood is localizing a global battery supply chain that seamlessly integrates recovery, reuse, and recycling—keeping critical minerals in circulation and driving the energy transition. Founded in 2017,we’re delivering low-cost and large-scale energy storage and producing battery materials in the U.S. for the first time, all from batteries we already have.

Position Summary

Redwood Materials is deploying large-scale battery energy storage systems that power data centers and the nation's grid. Founded by Tesla co-founder and former CTO JB Straubel, Redwood closed a $425M Series E in January 2026 and was named to Fast Company's 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2026. Redwood’s energy storage business is scaling fast - we built North America's largest microgrid (63 MWh) for AI infrastructure company Crusoe, signed a partnership with GM to deploy stationary storage using both new and second-life EV batteries, and are now bringing that same battery energy storage system to Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing plant.

The Senior or Staff BESS Development Engineer will join as an early member of a new engineering team working on our Battery Energy Storage System product line, specializing in BESS projects at the initiation and concept phases — turning incomplete, ambiguous inputs into a buildable scope, a concept design, and a permitting/interconnection path. The role balances speed and depth: it must move fast enough to support active pursuits while setting up projects for execution success.

The ideal candidate is highly self-driven, adaptable to a startup environment, and comfortable operating where processes are still being built. You’re a doer and a builder, excited about working in a dynamic, fast-paced setting, and want to shape how Redwood delivers energy storage projects at scale.

• Early feasibility Business Development support: Development Engineer produces concept (feasibility) layouts and draft single-line diagrams from the BESS Product Team’s product specs and architecture guidance while customer discussions are in progress.
• Advanced proposal support: Development Engineer finalizes EPC concept, scope, and cost basis behind business development’s proposal and provides technical exhibits that attach to the contract.
• EPC Scope and Basis of Design (BOD): After a contract is signed and system architecture and inverter selection are finalized, the Development Engineer documents EPC scope and Basis of Design.

Responsibilities will include:

• Coordinate technically across BD, BESS Product Team, internal EPC engineers, and internal EPC project controls.
• Own internal and external EPC engineering resourcing and schedule for assigned early-phase work.
• Work with Business Development (BD) team to serve as BD's technical engineering support, supplying scope boundaries, buildability constraints, the design/construction/install side of the cost estimate, schedule, and the technical exhibits attached to the contract.
• Work with BESS Product Team who owns system architecture, configuration, and product compliance documentation.
• Engage civil, structural, electrical, controls, and fire engineering disciplines to review studies, layouts, and Single Line Diagrams (SLDs) produced by Development Engineer. Includes setting the design basis, routing data-request items to the right discipline, prioritizing against the pursuit schedule and combining elements into concept package.
• Engage project controls team for cost estimation and schedules to support BD proposals and facilitate resource planning.
• Coordinate and document critical electrical and fire/life-safety requirements or assumptions with risks and project mitigations.
• Deliver feasibility studies that document if and how project site physically and electrically host the system. Confirm buildable area, interconnection viability, and a clear permitting path. Output is a go/no-go input plus constraints register.
• Deliver gap analysis using data/information request checklist as gap tool, assign an owner to every item, and track status. Surface scope-delineation ambiguities and long-lead items.
• Drive the data/information request checklist to closure, including site surveys, geotechnical report, product configuration and cutsheets, product compliance basis, utility interconnection inputs, and AHJ and regulatory requirements.
• Document scope delineation across internal and external responsible parties.

Desired Qualifications:

• BS in Engineering, preferably Civil or Electrical Engineering. Alternatively, demonstrate exceptional ability in civil or electrical engineering fields through equivalent experience.
• 5+ years (Senior), 8+ years (Staff) of experience in energy project development, design, and construction with BESS and utility scale solar experience preferred.
• Familiarity with grid-scale energy storage technologies and balance-of-plant equipment (e.g. inverters, transformers, switchgear, fire detection).
• Strong working knowledge of electrical system design, interconnection requirements, and utility-scale BESS project execution.
• Familiarity with BESS industry standards and codes (UL 9540/9540A/1973/1741, NFPA 855, IEEE, NEC (NFPA 70), IEC).
• PE License preferred.
• Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in parallel.
• Excellent attention to detail and quality decision making.
• Skills in AutoCAD and Bluebeam to prepare concept layouts and single line diagrams. Civil 3D and Revit experience as a plus.
• Project management and/or EPC experience.

In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills.

$160,000 - $252,000 USD

The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

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